Kente Cloth, Ghana

Kente Cloth
Weaving done by men in West Africa
Woven in long narrow strips, then sewn
together into large fabrics
Traditionally worn draped across the
shoulders

Bobbo sewing Kente cloth together
Bobbos eldest son
Weaving
Weaving
Process of interlacing threads to form cloth
Based on warp & weft threads
Weaving - Warp
Warp
Threads are strung vertically on a loom
Form the skeleton of the weaving
Weaving - Weft
Weft
Horizontal threads that pass over & under
the skeleton
Form the body
of the weaving
History of Kente Weaving
Kente weaving
Craft passes from father to son
Patterns given names
Example: My ideas have run out
Agama: The chameleon
signifies patience and
trickery
Use of Kente Cloth
Originally made for Kings & Queens
National dress of Ghana
Worn for holidays
Popular with tourists

Weaving Terms
Loom
Structure that holds the weaving together
Strip loom
upright loom
Standing loom
cardboard loom

Strip loom
Weaving Terms
Tabby or plain weave
Going over, under the warp threads
(to) Beat in
To push the weft close to the previously
woven weft
Selvedge edge
Woven sides of the piece
Weaving Problems
Drawing-in
Unwanted waist-line produced
if the thread is pulled to tight
Selvage loops
Uneven edges acquired if too
much thread is left at the edges
Kente Cloth Design Techniques
Use the tabby weave to develop
different colored strips
Create interest with width differences
Create a checkerboard
Going over and under 2 threads
Add a brocade weave on top
Zigzags are common
Master Kente Cloth Weaver,
Gilbert Bobbo Ahiagble



Boiling the yarns in a large kettle on a fire pit, adding
starch, and dyeing.
Bobbo at his loom
Hanging a multitude of different colored dyed skeins
out to dry. Sunny days are not scarce in Denu
A weaver winding the yarns onto bobbins A weaver showing a finished strip - this pattern is called
worgagba, or "corn power".
Passing the weft threads through the shed.
Adding threads to the loom A woven strip of cloth winding up on the loom's cloth beam
Bobbo at a weaving demonstration in the U.S. - with a young
admirer.
Measuring the beat of a strip with a notched stick One of Bobbo's youngest sons, Kweku, lending a hand
winding thread onto a small bobbin
Washing yarns
A yet to be woven crown and the finished end of the strip
A woman selling yarns and dyes on market day in Denu
Two goats, a chicken and a warp
Packed-up for the day. The warp is never left stretched out
on a loom overnight. Here you can see the warp crown and
its already woven end.
A couple of young weavers helping out on school break An elder weaver from Agbozume
Bobbo weaving at his loom
Kente Cloth
Kente Cloth
Kente Cloth
Credits
Created by Jerilynn Packer
Resources:
Kente Cloth story and slides http://members.aol.com/davilojo/p1.htm
www.africancrafts.com African Crafts
http://www.marshall.edu/akanart/cloth_kente.html AKAN KENTE CLOTHS
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kboahene02001480/kente.htm
http://www.ghana.com/republic/kente/index.html KENTE
http://kente.midwesttradegroup.com/history.html Symbolic Meanings of
Colors
http://www.adire.clara.net/africantextilesintro.htm looms of Africa
www.handsoncrafts.org Hands on Crafts